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Tuesday, 6 November 2012

Museum of London wants to be home to Henry Moore sculpture

A London museum has said it wants to become a
permanent home for a sculpture that has been put up for sale by Tower Hamlets
Council.

Last month, the
local authority announced it would sell the Henry Moore bronze sculpture Draped
Seated Woman after "unprecedented" budget cuts.

The plans have
attracted criticism from people including film-maker Danny Boyle and the
director of the Tate Gallery.

The sculpture,
which could fetch £20m, was bought for £6,000 in 1960.

Moore, a
well-known socialist, sold the sculpture at a fraction of its market value to
the former London County Council on the understanding that it would be
displayed in a public space and might enrich the lives of those living in a
socially deprived area.

Nicknamed Old
Flo, it was installed on the Stifford council estate in 1962 but was vandalised
and moved to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 1997.

'Great works'

In October this
year, Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman announced his decision to sell the
sculpture.

He said:
"It is with great regret that I take this decision but we are faced with a
stark choice in these times of recession."

The Museum of
London said it supported concerns "about selling great works of art".

It wants to
display the sculpture at the Museum of London in the City or Museum of London
Docklands, at West India Quay, which it said together attract more than 600,000
visitors a year.

Museum director
Sharon Ament said: "The Museum of London's offer to put Draped Seated
Woman on free, public display would enable everyone to enjoy and derive meaning
from this significant artwork."

The museum said
it had conducted a full risk assessment and given it to Tower Hamlets.

It was still
awaiting a response from the authority, the spokesman added.